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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Roanoke Railhouse Brewery

I began my recent weekend in Roanoke, VA, with a stop at the Roanoke Railhouse Brewery. The brewery opens their tap room on Friday and Saturday afternoons, so I planned my travel to arrive in town early enough on Friday to enjoy a pint or two of the brewery's beers. As my GPS announced "You have arrived at your destination," I looked around and saw no brewery. Around the block I went, catching sight of the brewery sign as I passed by a second time. The brewery occupies space in an auto tire and service garage. I found street parking nearby and made my way to the marked entrance.

Even as I walked in the door, I had my doubts if I was in the right place. It appeared I was a car repair shop. I backed out the door to double check that I had read the sign correctly. Yea, this should be the place. I heard the sounds of people talking, so I followed the path marked out by ropes and cardboard boxes, winding my way through a corridor towards the back.

Finally I arrived in the brewery area, and found a large crowd surrounding the small serving area. It took me about 10 minutes to work my way to the front of the crowd and order a beer. I learned that the brewery serves $2 drafts for one hour on Friday, which explained the crowd. After "happy hour" the crowd was smaller, although there was a continuous stream of folks coming through. The visitors appeared equally divided between first timers, and the regular fans of the brewery.

Four beers were available the day of my visit; Track 1 Amber Lager, Switch Monkey Belgian Ale, Castle's Irish Red, and a seasonal Red Belgian. The Castle's Irish Red appeared to be the most popular, so I opted to start with that. This beer is one the brewery brewed under contract for a local establishment. I was told that business closed after the last batch of beer had been brewed, and that there were no plans to brew the beer again. The Irish Ale was a reddish bronze color with a faint malt aroma. The flavor was malty with a roasted, nutty bitterness in the finish.

I next opted to try the "seasonal Red Belgian." This beer was described as a "happy accident." It seems the brewer was working on a batch of Switch Monkey and mistakenly used caramel malt, creating a darker version of Belgian Ale. Many folks were enjoying it so I figured I'd give it a shot. The beer was a light brown color with what seemed to me, to be a funky, off-putting aroma. There was mild maltiness to the beer, but not much else to arouse my taste buds. Taste is subjective, and although I opted to leave the beer unfinished, I saw many folks ordering refills of pints and growlers. I was running out of time, and ordered another pint of the enjoyable Irish Red.

I typically don't order sample trays when visiting a new brewery. I don't find that the small samples and multiple flavors provide a good opportunity to enjoy to beers. In retrospect, that's a rule I will ignore when I next visit Roanoke Railhouse. A tasting flight here consists of four, 9 ounce samples; 36 ounces of beer for just $6.00. That's a lot of bang for the buck!

I had been most interested trying the brewery's Railhouse IPA, but it was not available at the time of my visit. However, the hotel where I was staying had quite an impressive craft beer menu, which included the IPA. I ordered a glass with my dinner later that evening. Railhouse IPA pours a dark amber color with minimal head and carbonation. The aroma is earthy with some pine and citrus notes. The flavor is fairly reserved, with a base of bready malts and some pine and grassy hop notes. I noted a hint of butterscotch and a toasted background. The overall flavor was balanced, and gave little hint of the reported 7% ABV.

I enjoyed my visit to Roanoke Railhouse Brewery and was struck by the number of fans visiting this small, hidden shop. I look forward to trying a few more of their selections in the future. I may not have to wait for a return trip to Roanoke either; the brewery will be expanding its distribution state-wide soon.

Self-Defense Is Not Violence

"It is high time for society to stop worrying about the criminal, and to let the criminal start worrying about society."-- Lt. Col. Jeff CooperPrinciples of Personal Defense

"Though defensive violence will always be 'a sad necessity' in the eyes of men of principle, it would be still more unfortunate if wrongdoers should dominate just men."-- St. Augustine

Targets of the Left

"Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility."-- Catechism of the Catholic Church #2265